07/09/2011 | C. Martin
Dubai holidays will take on an added attraction for sports fans if the emirate successfully bids for the Youth Olympic Games.
The UAE's National Olympic Committee (NOC) said it plans to put in an application to host the event in the run up to realising its bigger ambition of bringing the Summer Olympics to Dubai.
A successful Youth Olympic Games would demonstrate the emirate's ability to host large-scale international sporting events and bolster its bid for the 2024 Olympics.
"It will be an added value for our bid and a credit to the country to do something like that. In addition, it would be like a rehearsal for the country," NOC general secretary Saeed Abdul Ghaffar said.
Getting both the Olympics and the youth version of it will pitch Dubai to the centre-stage of world sports and make it an even more attractive destination than it is now.
But if the idea of a sporting holiday leaves one person happier than the other, the best course would be to add another destination and turn it into a multi centre holiday.
Copyright Press Association 2011